Convertible couch.



No. 638,978.- 7 Patented 0%,12, I899.- J. MORAN.

CONVERTiBLE COUCH.

(Applicatiomfiled July 11, 1899.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet l. i 2

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Patentd Dec. l2, I899. J. MORAN. CONVERTIBLE COUCH.

(Applicatioh filed July 11, 1399.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-8heet 2.

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No. 638,978. Patented Dec. I2, I899.

J. MORAN.

CONVERTIBLE COUCH.

(Appl ication filed July 11, 1899.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet a.

WITN ESSES I NVENTD H No. 638,978; Patented Dec. l2, I899. J. MORAN.

CONVERTIBLE COUCH.

(Application filed July 11, 1899.)

mo Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

WITNESSES INVENTUR THi norms PETERS 1:0,. Puo'rauma. wasnmmou. o. c.

No. 638,978. Patented Dec. 12, I899.

J. MORAN.

CONVERTIBLE COUCH.

(Application filed July 11; 1899. (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

WITNESS E5 INVENTI'EII R kow WOW/(V amaze Ulla W.

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PATENT union,

JAMES MORAN, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONVERTIBLE COUCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,978, dated December12, 1899.

Application filed July ll, 1899. Serial No. 723,457. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern.-

Beit known that 1, JAMES MORAN, a citizen of the United States, residingat New York, in the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinConvertible Couches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to convertible furniture-that is, to furnitureconstructed so that the form of its frame can be changed by al-.

tering the position of its several parts, and thereby producing anarticle which can be used for different purposes by simply changing therelative positions of the principal parts of theframe. In this class offurniture my invention has reference specifically to a couch that can beconverted into a divan or seat, and vice Versa, and form a comfortable,usefuhand attractive article of household furniture for either purpose.

One object of my invention is to produce a convertible couch madeentirely of metal and provided with a spring-bottom connected directlywith the frame of the couch, so that the latter can be converted into adivan'or seat without disconnecting the spring-bottom or changing itsrelation to the frame in any manner.

A further object of myinvention is to protect that part of thespring-bottom that is stretched over the section of the couch-frame thatbecomes the seat from injuryand undue strain when the couch is convertedinto a divan.

A further object of my invention is to brace the spring-bottom at thepoint where it bends when the couch is converted into a divan andprevent it from becoming slack when the part of the frame with which itis connected is swung up to form the back of the divan.

A further object of my invention is to adapt the support for thehead-section of the couch to operate the contrivance that locks thehead-section in position to form the back of the divan and-to cause thesaid contrivance to automatically lock the head-section when it is swungup into position to form the back and to unlock the same when returnedto the couch. I

The invention willbe first described in connection with the drawings,and then specifically pointed out-in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan of the frame ofthe convertible couch open and in condition toreceive the mattress andcovering, which are omitted for clearness of representation; Fig.2,aside elevation of the same. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of thedivan, which is formed by changing the position of parts of the frame ofthe couch; Fig. 4, a plan of the divan.

position where it forms the head-section of the Fig. 5 is a detail viewin elevation of the mechanism for locking the part of the frame thatforms the back of the divan. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of thesame.

Referring to the drawings, the frame of the couch consists of threeprincipal parts--viz., the main or middle section A, which is supportedby legs Z Z, strengthened by a brace Z and fitted withcasters tofacilitate moving the article about, head-section B, and a foot--section 0. The middle section is made of side rails 1 l and an end rail2, andthe head section is made up of side rails 3 3 and an end rail 4.The extremities of the side rails 1 l of the main section and side rails3 3 of the head-section are hinged together at 5 5, so that when thehead-section is turned down to a horizontal position, as in Figs. 1 and2, they form continuous side rails for the couch. There being no endpiece where the two sections meet and are hinged together to prevent theside rails from spreading and from drawing together under the weight on.the couch when in use, a transverse bar 6 is connected with the underside of the side rails of the head-section, near where it is hinged tothe middle section, to brace the side rails.

At the upper end of the head-section B is l a folding support D forsupporting the section when extended to form the couch. This supportconsists of two legs I) D, the upper ends of which are hinged in thegrooves in the under or outer sides of the side rails'3 3, at theextremities thereof, where the endrails join the side rails, as shownmore in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. The legs are connected together by abrace D This support can be swung out at right angles to the side rails3 3 or turned down about parallel thereto when the head-section is swungup to form the back of the divan, as shown in Fig. 3. The said supportis also used to operate the locking mechanism by which the head-sectionis locked and braced in position to form the back of the divan, as willbe described presently.

The foot-section O is made of round or bar metal bent to form arectangular frame having one side 7 and two ends 8 8, and theextremities of the ends are pivoted to the side rails 1 1 of the mainsection just inside of the end rail 2, as represented at 9 9, Figs. 1,2, and 4. The inner side of the foot-section is formed by a bar 10. Theends 8 8 are curved upward at 11, so that the extremities can be broughtdown into position to be pivoted to the side rails without destroyingthe general alinement of the sides of the foot extension with the siderails. Strips of metal 12 are laid across the foot-section from side toside and interwoven, the ends of the strips being bent around the sidesand ends of the section to secure them in place. These strips areintended to form the bottom 'of the divan or seat, as will be shownpresently.

The foot-section is provided wit-h a folding footboard E and with legsor supports G G,

formed in a single piece from a bar of metal 13, that forms the top ofthe footboard, having its ends bent down at right angles to form thelegs. This footboard is hung on the outer side bar of the foot-section Cby inserting the said. outer bar in the bends 14 14:, formed in theright-angular extension of the bar and confining it therein by means ofstraps 15 15, placed over the said bar and rivetedto the extensions, thestraps having a bend corre sponding to the bends ll let to form eyes inwhich the bar is hung and whereby the footboard and legs can be turnedon the bar as a pivot. Between the top bar of the footboard and theouter side bar of the foot-section are a number of strips of metal 16,having their ends bent around the two bars, the ends on the bar 7 beingloose, so as to turn freely thereon. These strips cross the spacebetween the two bars and thus form, with the top and side bars, an openfootboard.

The legs or supports G G are connected with the side bars of thefoot-section by means of the folding braces H, Fig. 2, (only onebeing.shown,) which are made in two parts 17 18, jointed together andhaving their opposite ends pivoted, respectively, to the side bars ofthe foot extension and the legs or supports G. The jointed end of part17 extends some distance beyond the pivot, which forms the joint, andhas on. its upper edge a flange that forms a stop 19, that prevents thebrace folding up when extended to hold the legs in position to supportthe foot-section, as shown in Fig. 2. To release the legs when it isdesired to fold them, the brace is bent upward, whereupon the legs canbe folded up against the under side of the foot-section.

The top and sides of the headboard I of the couch are formed in a singlepiece from a bar 20 of metal, having the ends bent down at right angleto form the sides 21 21, and the ends of these sides are again bent toform right-angular extensions 22 22, the ends 23 of which are flattenedand slotted, as shown. These slotted ends are connected with the siderails 3 3 inside of the end rail 4 by means of studs 24 24-, connectedwith clips on the side rails and passed through the slots. By thisconstruction the headboard can be slid down clear of the end rail 4 andthen turned down nearly parallel to the side rails of the headsection,as shown in Fig. 3.

The sides of the support D are connected with the side bars of thehead-section by means of folding braces J, which are made in two parts25 26, jointed together and having their opposite ends pivoted to theside rails 3 3 of head-section l3 and to the sides of the support D, asshown in Fig. 2, only one being illustrated. The jointed end of part 25extends beyond the pivot that forms the joint, and it has on its upperedge aflange forming a stop 2", that prevents the brace from foldingwhen extended, except in an upward direction.

The device for locking the head-section in an upright position to formthe back of the divan is connected with the support of the said section,and its construct-ion is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6, which aredrawn 011 a slightly-enlarged scale. It must be understood that thislocking mechanism is duplicatedthat is, it is applied to both sides ofthe head-section; but on one side it is shown but partially. The frameof the head-section (also of the middle or main section) being made ofchanneled or grooved iron for lightness and stiffness combined, thislooking mechanism is partly concealed in the channels or grooves in theback or under side of the sides 3 3 of the head-section. The mechanismcomprises a rod 28, the upper end of which is slotted. and connected bya pin 29 with the sides of the support D, which have their upper endshinged in the groove in the sides 3 3 at 31. The lower end of the rod ispivoted to an ear on the lever 32, which has its fulcrum on a pivot 33,fixed in the sides of the groove. The lower end of the lever bearsagainst a fiat spring 34, having its lower end riveted to the bottom ofthe groove. The spring has a pin fixed to it, which is in line with ahole 36 in the bottom of the groove and which enters the said hole whenthe spring is in its normal position-that is, within the groove-and whenthe pin is forced into the hole by the spring it is also caused to entera hole in a slide forming part of a brace, which will now be described.This brace consists of a flat metal bar 37, having one end 38 hinged tothe upper side of the side frame 1 and the other end 30 connected with abox-slide 40 on the side bar 3, the bar thus extending across or overthe hinged connection 5 between the side bars 1 3. The boxslide has ahole 41 in its upper side, which receives the pin 35 when the slide ismoved up the side bar 3 until the said hole is brought into alinementwith the hole 36 and the pin, and when this occurs the slide andhead-section are. locked together, and the section is held in itsupright position and forms the back of the divan. WVhen the head sectionis raised up to a vertical position and it is desired to lock it in thatposition, the supports D are lowered by first bending the jointed braceJ upward. Then the supports are turned down parallel to the section, asshown in Fig. 3. By this motion the rods 28 are thrown down, therebyturning the lower ends of the levers 32 away from the springs 34, whichresume their normal positions within the grooves, and thereby drive {thepins through the holes 36 and thence into the holes 41 in thebox-slides, which by the raising of the head-section to the verticalposition were caused to slide up the side bars until the holes 41therein were in alinement with the holes 36. The head section is thuslocked in position and also made firm and steady by the braces 37. Tounlock the head-section preparatory to dropping it to a horizontalposition to form the couch, the supports D are lifted up until they areat right angles to the head-section. This raises the rods 28 and turnsthe levers against the springs, which, being bent backward, withdraw thepins from the slides, and these being now released the head-section canbe turned down to a horizontal position, when its supports D rest on thefloor and are held in an upright position by straightening the braces J,as shown in Fig. 2. i

L is the spring-bottom of the couch, which consists of steel wires woventogether and connected at the edges with helical springs 42, which inturn are attached to the side and end rails of the main section A andhead-sea tion B. Thus the main parts of the couch are provided with aspring-bottom and a comfortable support given to the greater part of thebody.

It is to be understood that the construction and mode of operation ofthe locking mechanism for holding the head'section in an uprightposition to form the back of the divan may be changed without departingfrom my invention. For example, bolts or latches may be used in place ofthe spring-operated pins herein described.

I claim- 1. A convertible couch consisting in the combination of amiddlesection having suitable supports, a foldable foot-section hingedto one end of the middle section a head-section made in one part andhinged to the op posite end of the middle section and adjustable from anupright position to a horizontal position and vice versa, a foldingsupport for the head-section, hinged to the back and upper end of saidsection and between the side rails thereof, locking mechanism connectedwith the side rails of the head and middle sections, and devicesinterposed between the support and the locking mechanism, and connectedwith the said support that control the action of the locking mechanism,substantially as specified.

2. In a convertible couch the combination with the middle section of ahead -section hinged thereto, suitable folding supports for thehead-section when in a horizontal position and forming part of thecouch, suitable locking devices, controlled by the folding support tolock the head-section when raised to a vertical position to form theback of the divan, slides on the side rails of the headseotion, braceshinged to the said slides and the side rails of the middle section, thesaid slides adapted to be engaged by the locking devices to lock andbrace the head-section in its upright position, substantially asspecifled.

3. In a convertible couch the combination of a middle section, ahead-section hinged thereto, a continuous spring-bottom connected withthe sides and end bars of the two sections, a foot-section hinged to theend section and having a folding support hung on its free end, anextension, pivoted to the said support adjustable to a position at rightangles to the support or to a position parallel therewith, the supportand extension adapted to be turned over on top of the middle section andthe top bar of the extension laid against the springbottom in line withthe hinged connection between the middle and head sections to keep thespring-bottom in tension when the head-section is turned to an uprightposition, substantially as specified.

4. In a convertible couch the combination with the head and middlesections and the continuous spring-bottom connected therewith, of afoot-section hinged to the middle section having rigid strips of metalwoven across it to form an unyielding bottom, a support pivoted to thefree end of the foot-section, having an extension that projects abovethe pivotal connections and forming a footboard for the couch, andresting on top of the middle section when converted into a divan, itsunyielding bottom protecting the part of the spring-bottom under it,while the extension bears against the bend in the spring-bottom andkeeps the said bottom in tension, substantially as specified.

5. In a convertible couch, the combination with the middle section of ahead-section hinged thereto, braces having one end hinged to the sideframes of the middle section, boxslides on the side rails of thehead-section to which the said braces are also hinged, the said sideframes and box-slides being provided with holes, a spring provided withpins in line with the holes in the side frames, the relative positionsof the holes in the slides and side frames being such that when thehead-section is raised up to a vertical position the holes in the slidesand frame are gles and the extremities provided with slots, and pinspassed through the said slots that connect the said folding headboardWith the inside of the side rails of the section, substantially asspecified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affix mysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES MORAN.

/Vitnessesz FREDK. HAYNES, WILTON O. DONN.

